


I Turn Around and There You Are

by zellymaybloom



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: 5+1 Things, Child Neglect, Fluff, M/M, Oh, They're a lil different idk what to say hmmmm, again idk if thats something i need to tag but just in case, it's p minor but just in case, oh um there's cursing?, there's them as kids and then bigger kids and so on
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-11
Updated: 2017-06-11
Packaged: 2018-11-12 18:38:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11167716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zellymaybloom/pseuds/zellymaybloom
Summary: 5 times Michael encounters life's little inconveniences, and 1 time Jeremy goes through h e l l





	I Turn Around and There You Are

**Author's Note:**

> Woah something that isn't part of my weird daily thing. Anyway, I wrote this over the span of many many days so I'm sorry for any sort of inconsistencies in the quality and style of writing whoops!! Oh well. Enjoy though!

1.

A young Filipino boy of age six nervously walked into the classroom for his first day of first grade. He lowered his face behind his Ash Ketchum hat and tried to make himself as small as possible. Equipped with a pikachu backpack and binder of pokemon cards, he felt a little dorky. He was worried that there wouldn’t be any other kids who liked the show. His mom had assured him though, that he would find someone. Whoever it was, they better hurry up, he thought.

His wished seemed to be granted when a young boy ran up to him.

“Hey, what’s that weird thing on your bag? It looks kinda’ funny.”

Okay, so he wasn’t the one. That’s fine. His first friend didn’t have to like pokemon. But then what would they talk about? He didn’t know any other shows. He hasn’t really played with toys other than his cards before. The kid probably liked trucks or something, but trucks were loud. They smelled funky too. Besides, trucks and cars couldn’t shoot lighting from their faces. Then, he remembered they don’t have faces in the first place. So pokemon must be better. They were cuter anyway. And cooler. But sometimes, also scarier. They were all really different. Trucks don’t do that. All of them-

“HEY! I’m tryna talk to you, dude! Say something! Stop being boring.”

He forgot about the kid in front of him.

“Oh, uuuuh… Sorry. Who are you?”

“I’m Jake. What’s in the folder?” As he said that, he snatched his entire collection out of his hands. The little boy cried out; he had been saving for like, EVER. Like seven whole months! It was so hard to tell his entire family about the cards for his birthday. He had to make sure they all got different packs or else he would have like  _ five _ of the same card. That’s too much!

With a groan, he tried to take them back. “Those are mine!”

Jake whined. “But you need to  _ shaaare _ . You can’t just have everything! You have like  _ at least _ a hundred of these things! Gimme one!” Then, he started to take a card out of its plastic slot.

In a frenzy, the young boy rushed forward and pushed him down. Immediately, he felt awful about it. The boy on the ground looked angry at him, and now his pokemon cards were dirty and most likely torn. He had arrived at a terrible crossroads; collect his cards or help Jake. Both of them would have severe consequences on the other. If he made the scramble to save his most treasured possessions, Jake wouldn’t like him. But like… Maybe it would only be for a while. He could totally just explain it and then they’d be buddies again. Probably. On the other hand, helping the boy would mean his cards would get dirty. They could stepped on, lost in the wind, or even  _ ripped _ . And those cards cost  _ money! _

The decision was clear. Ignoring the brunette’s outstretched hand, our boy dove down onto the blacktop to snatch the fallen objects. Blastoise was by his foot, Lugia was about an arm's length away, but his Venusaur was skipping away with the wind. Jogging over the get it, he placed the cards carefully back in their designated sleeves within the binder. He had to dust them off a bit, but they were still in near perfect condition. That would have to be enough. 

With a more relaxed attitude, he turned back to Jake. He felt more prepared to socialize now that his cards were safe. As he made eye contact though, the boy didn’t seem as friendly as he had before. He was glaring at him in the fiercest way a first grader could manage. That wasn’t a good sign.

In an attempt to make amends, he offered the binder out again. “We could play a game?”

Jake didn’t exactly seem like he wanted to be his friend anymore, though. With a pouty huff, he turned and ran.

That wasn’t very nice of him, he thought. Discouraged, the boy avoided talking to everyone. The first session of class was lonely. Everyone had found a buddy to play with. By recess, people were pairing up and running out the door. He just sat alone at the snack table. What else was he to do? Playing by himself was boring, and the other kids were all running around. He wasn’t a huge fan of running.

The little boy felt defeated. It was game over, and he didn’t even beat level one. Resting his head on the table in front of him, he felt his eyes start to well up in tears. He just wanted a buddy. Someone who could play pokemon with him. Someone who knew video games. Or at the very least, someone to keep him from feeling alone.

Then, someone tapped on his shoulder.

“I, uh… Where’d your c-cards go?”

He turned around and saw another kid. He had really pretty blue eyes, the boy noticed. His hair looked really soft too. It was brown and wavy, and huh. This kid is really cute.

The small Filipino spoke, wiping away his tears, “Um, they’re in my cubby… Who are you? You’re not in my class.”

“I-I’m Jeremy,” he replied shakily. “I saw your cards and your bag, and I thought you were super cool! But, uh. W-when you went to the classroom, I wanted to go with you, but my dad said I wasn’t supposed to go there, and I got really sad.” Jeremy seemed to notice a stray tear. He sat down in front of him and squished his buddy’s cheeks. “Are you sad? You shouldn’t be. Soooo… Stop. You hear me? You got that, uh… What’s your name?”

That got him to laugh. He attempted to smile as he finally introduced himself. “I’m Michael.”

2.

He was lost. Utterly and hopelessly lost. The entire 3rd grade had gone to a zoo for a field trip, and everyone was to stay with their travel buddy. Michael was partnered with some girl named Brooke, who had quickly left to hangout with her friend Chloe and her buddy. That didn’t bother him really. He wasn’t exactly friends with her anyway. Besides, it was cool to wander around to see everything without anyone telling him to go anywhere else. He got to see all the cool animals at his own pace. There were otters, turtles, emus, and way more animals that he could count. 

He had first wandered over to the reptile house near the entrance. He found a whole bunch of snakes and lizards, but the coolest was the giant python. There was even more than the animals! There was the animals’  _ skeletons _ . After that, he found himself looking at some penguins. Third grader Michael was amused to hear that the African penguins were also sometimes known as the jackass penguin. He laughed and took a picture of it with the disposable camera he had brought along. Nearby, there was a prairie dog exhibit where he could pop his head up from holes as if he were one of the animals himself. Quickly though, he got bored. He snapped a few pictures of some cattle and bison close by and continued on. He found himself amazed with by lazy bears, slouching foxes, and a silly groundhog. All around the zoo, there were amazing animals to find. He even found an area dedicated to animals in the local wilderness of New Jersey.

Enthralled, he barely noticed the time.

It didn’t  _ feel _ very late, and it’s not like the sun was setting or anything. It still felt very much like daytime to him. He probably still had hours left. However, a voice over the intercom said otherwise. “Michael Mell. Third grader Michael Mell, your school is looking for you. Please return to the entrance as soon as possible. Your school is looking for you.”

That freaked him out. What if he couldn’t find them? What if the school couldn’t find  _ him _ ? What if they found him at like midnight, and the bus driver fell asleep and they crashed and everyone  _ died?! _ But, what if they all got tired of waiting and just  _ left _ ? Then, he’d be stuck at the zoo  _ forever _ ! He’d never see his parents or Jeremy ever again! He didn’t have money so he couldn’t buy food. He would either starve or have to get a job. He’d be stuck feeding the bear and  _ then _ he would die. He’d get eaten, and that was even worse than death by a bus crash.

Feeling utterly alone, Michael struggled to figure out where he was in the park. He knew he was next to the petting zoo, but he hadn’t the vaguest clue on where the entrance was in relationship to his location. The only thing he remembered was that the reptile house was close to the gates, but after so many animals and almost two hundred images on the disposable camera, the reptile house seemed so far away.

Desperate to try and get closer, he ran aimlessly. Assuming the park was mostly circular, he could just keep going the same way and he would  _ have _ to stumble across the entrance. Frantically, he made his way toward an emu exhibit nearby. Unsure of where he was going, he just tried to stay positive that he would make it back.

It was hard to do that though when the entire zoo just seemed to get bigger as he went. None of the things around him seemed familiar. He passed leopards, red pandas, and something called a muntjac. Whatever it was, it wasn’t something that he had passed before. Michael deeply regretted not grabbing a map. Frustrated and scared, he sat down on a bench and sulked.

_ This is it. You’re going to die trying to feed a bear, _ he thought. At that, tears started to form in his eyes. Embarrassed from being in a public space, he quickly wiped his eyes and tried to collect himself. To calm his nerves, he tried listening to the small snips of happy conversation of the parka goers.

“Look, Mommy! A crane! It…”

“Ya know hon, it’s just so…

“...really gorgeous. It reminds me…”

“MICHAEL!”

In a amazing turn of events, he heard a familiar voice calling him. Turning his head to the sound, he was overjoyed to see his best friend.

“JEREMY!” relieved, he ran towards him and met in a hug. “Dude… I was  _ so  _ freaking scared… I thought you guys would leave me, and I’d have to feed the bears for a job and like the bear would eat me and…” Michael pulled back from the hug for a moment to talk look him in the eye. “I missed you, bro.”

His companion smiled. “I missed you too, bro.” Then, he pulled out a map and unfolded it. “Now, since  _ I _ got a map unlike  _ some _ people, you’re going to follow me to the entrance.” With that, he began walking in the direction that Michael presumed was the entrance. As they pushed through the crowd, he found it hard to keep track of Jeremy as all the bodies got in the way. He called out to him before he could be lost again.

“What’s up, Mikey?”

“I don’t want to get lost again…” he told him.

Jeremy paused for a moment as he noticed the sea of people around them. He seemed to be thinking for a moment as he absent mindedly snapped his fingers. After the few seconds of thought, he shifted his grip on the map in his left hand. He handed the other end of the map to Michael’s right hand. That left them in such a way that Jeremy was on the left, and Michael was on the right. The map was open for both kids. In between them, their free hands hung lose. Jeremy looked to him with a soft smile.

“Now you can’t get lost!”

3.

There was  _ no way _ Michael was going to get all of these things memorized in one night. Like every fifth grader, he was tasked with memorizing the states and their capitals. There was a huge fuss over it at the beginning of the year, and his teacher Mr. Burns kept insisting to review. Now, he was starting to see why. It was 4:56 P.M on a Thursday afternoon, and he had just finished his homework. Assuming he should look over  _ some _ things for the test, Michael decided to crack open the small study pamphlet the students were given. Immediately, he was caught off guard by the seemingly endless list of states. During that moment, he realized that fifty states didn't seem so bad until you actually tried to write all of them down.

He tragically pressed his face into the pillow and whined. He actually had to  _ study _ . That was really hard to do when the small sheet of paper was so boring, and his Xbox looked so fun. Unsure of how to handle this 

dilemma, he slid the keyboard to his old blackberry phone and texted Jeremy.

_ duuuuude im gonna die tomorroooow… _

Only moments later, he got a response. It read,  _ :P why bro _

_ i like… have n o t studied for the states and capitals test like at all… im doomed D: _

After an uncomfortably longer moment, he received,  _ can i come over? _

_ sure?... _

Assuming Jeremy wasn’t kidding when he said he’d come over, he took a moment to clean up the room and get himself a little more presentable. Shove the underwear in the drawer, throw that candy wrapper in the trash. Then, brush your teeth and comb your hair. Right after, Jeremy had arrived, approximately fifteen minutes after he invited himself over.

“Hey dude!” He said as he swung open the door.

“Mike!” His friend chimed. As he walked in, he began opening the small book bag that hung from his shoulder. He trusted his feet to carry him up the familiar twelve steps to the same room that he’s visited for years. Halfway up the stairs though, Michael called him back.

“Hey! Uh, Jere? I’ve kind of been staying in the basement the past few days sooo…” The young boy shuffled on his back and forth on his heels. He wondered if that was weird. Basements are usually dirty, so he’d probably have to show Jeremy the room first so he didn’t think he was nasty. Hesitantly, he looked up to gauge his reaction.

Jeremy’s face was apparently lit up. The boy marveled at the idea. “Really?! That sounds  _ awesome _ . I’ve always wanted a basement ya’ know? They seem like cool secret caves. Let’s go!” And with a grin, he closed his bag and rushed down the stairs and off to the basement. He already knew where it was; his buddy’s old room wasn’t the only place in the house after all. He had the whole placed memorized, actually.

Relieved, Michael raced after him. This time, there were only seven steps. When he reached the bottom, he found himself in his new room. It was very much the same as his old room really. The layout was almost identical; the only difference now was where it was. Moving everything down had been a real hassle. And he meant  _ everything _ . There was the obvious stuff that caused trouble, like his TV, desk, drawers, and mattress. But because he was moving from a room twelve steps  _ above _ floor level to a basement seven steps  _ below _ floor level, just taking stuff like his clothes and pencil cases was difficult. He just hoped that the move would be worth it though. His parents’ arguments just seemed to get more frequent every passing day. They were incredibly nitpicky with each other. Granted, they still seemed to care greatly for him, so he decided he would make some change before that disappeared. So one day, he asked his dad with the reasoning that he like the cold and dark (not entirely a lie), and he gave him the approval. Hoping to avoid a scene, he texted his mom that he would sleep in the basement with the same reasoning, except that he would move the furniture himself. It was best if both of them thought he was on their side. He told his dad his, and he got an unnerving smirk in return. The next day, they transported all the items in one afternoon while his mom was at work, but being able to fall asleep and stay asleep at night had really made him feel better.

And it kept Jeremy from hearing how dysfunctional his home was whenever his parents couldn't keep it together for him.

Taking a deep breath in and out, he turned to face his supportful friend. This was his own problem to bear. If he told Jeremy, he would just be bummed out. Not wanting to damper the mood, he had made up a fake reason on why he moved in case he asked. Should the question come up in conversation, he would tell him exactly what he told his parents. He liked sleeping in the cold and dark. That would have to be enough. Clearing his mind for a moment, he let himself come back to the present. He had a states and capitals test to study for.

Trying to not give away any sign of distress to Jeremy, he puffed out his chest and set his shoulders back as he asked, “So, where do you think we should start?”

“Well, it depends. How much do you know right now?”

Michael visibly deflated. “Uh… Like literally nothing.”

“Hah. It looks like we’ve got a lot of work to do!” He began to open his bag once more, and started laying out various study materials out onto his bed. A whiteboard and marker, some binder paper, both marked up and plain, a map, and of course, the pamphlet they had all received. There was a crinkling sound from the bag, like a snack of sorts, but that probably wasn't very important. Jeremy seemed to notice the sound it made though, and opened the smaller front pocket to reveal multiple bags of cornerstone bought flamin’ hot funyun’s. “I figured I could sort of… Give these to you as rewards when you get stuff right, ya know?”

He held a single bag with a soft smile, and Michael couldn’t help but smile back. The simplicity of the situation was just far too lovely. It made him forget all the troubles that stirred upstairs. That smile could make him forget all of life’s worries really. He brought familiarity and joy to his world throughout the years, especially during his darkest times. He’s helped him through so much, and he felt he could never repay him enough.

With a similarly bright grin, Michael agreed. “Yeah… Okay. Let’s study.”

4.

“Look Ms. Terry, I… I don't know where it is. I was editing it with Jeremy last night, and I guess I must have left it there. I really just… I don't know. I haven't missed  _ anything _ else this year. If I can bring it in first thing tomorrow, could I like, not lose fifty percent? Or at least like only lose twenty or thirty?”

He was desperate. This was a one hundred forty point essay. The category it was in was worth thirty percent of his grade. It could potentially drop his low B to a C+. In the last year of eighth grade, he couldn’t afford to lose his honor roll streak in the  _ last _ trimester. That’d be awful. Not just for him, but for his parents too, and he couldn't afford any more home troubles. Things have escalated since he moved to his basement. Caught up in their own disagreements, Mr. and Mrs. Mell became a little neglectful of him. They didn't harm or belittle him, but they certainly became much more distant and absent in his life. This meant no more homemade cookies for every A, no carefully prepared Filipino cuisine for dinner, and certainly no congratulations for any awards he had earned. What would come though, were questioning statements on why his grades were slipping up. Not wanting to have to face this, he desperately asked for some way out of the situation.

His teacher looked at him in pity. Surely, she knew that he was a good student. He had not missed it because he didn't try. With a sigh, she told him, “For starters, you need to provide proof that you did this document on time. We’ll grab a laptop and you can show me the work history. In regards to a physical copy, you’ll have to give it to me before the end of the day. You’re lucky you have me first and second period, Michael.”

Ecstatic that he had been given a chance to redeem himself, he hurriedly grabbed a laptop from the cart. Logging in, he opened up the assignment in google docs. Clicking the history, he turned the screen to prove that he hadn’t made any changes since last night at eight pm. Satisfied with what she had been shown, Ms. Terry told him to put it away, and let him run off to break. Feeling a little more hopeful, he put some spring into his step as he made his way through the mostly empty hall to the cafeteria. Inside, he ducked past the numerous cool kids blocking the entrance as they always did. Then, he had to sneak around the girls, navigate the endless number of jocks, and regretfully walk by the nice people he never managed to totally befriend. Finally, he had reached his and Jeremy’s special corner. 

Trying to get as far away from the two entrances as they could get, the two were sat under a folded table pushed into the corner of the cafeteria when not in use. They had been told off a couple of times by a yard duty to get out of there, but most days, they couldn't be seen when in there anyway. At first, it seemed like a gross idea. Eventually though, they warmed up to it. Every day, Jeremy brought an old striped blanket for the floor, and they routinely thanked the janitors for all of their service. It was a miracle that there was never any gum on the underside of those tables. Once the two boys, both unfortunately tall, had jammed themselves into the small space, the placed their bags at the front opening. It made the space more private, so they could do just about anything they wanted. At least, anything two cramped boys could do under a table. Some days they talked yeah, but others, they just played on their phones, or some random handheld gaming system Michael had brought. He recalled a time when the two were late to class because they were listening to music and didn't hear the bell. Today though seemed like it would being a talking day. He had to ask Jeremy if he happened to have his assignment.

“Hey dude, did I leave my essay at your house last night?”

“Hm? Oh yeah! I was supposed to give it to you this morning. I found it on the floor this morning when I woke up.” At that, he started to shuffle through his Legend of Zelda backpack. He pulled out a black binder, and in the inside pocket was his essay. Handing it to Michael, the young teen scanned it over, seeing it was indeed his. Stuffing inside his own NES controller shaped backpack, he quickly turned to give his best friend a tight hug.

They remained in that position as he thanked Jeremy for his help. “ _ OH MY GOSH DUDE THANK YOU SO FUCKING MUCH.  _ Like, you know writing isn’t my thing; I have a low B in that class. I could have screwed up my final trimester because of that.” He pulled away for a moment, leaving his hands on his shoulders as he looked him in the eyes and said, “You are the best person I know.”

Then, he pulled him back in for yet another hug. Laughing, his best friend smiled as he pat him on the back.

In a good mood, Michael rested his head on Jeremy’s shoulder as they leaned against the wall. Taking his phone out from his bag, he decided to snap a few selfies of them. A normal smiling one, a silly one, and a laughing one as they cringed at the obscureness of the last one. He added the images to his folder of them, becoming the 289th, 290th, and 291st images in it. His companion asked him to send them to him so he could save them, as he always did with their photos together. As his companion saved the images, Michael snuck a quick picture of him. This went into a locked folder labeled simply as “<3”.

It was around last year when he realized his feelings for Jeremy. He didn't know what it was for years, but he knew that he was special to him in some way. The feelings were always there, even if it took him a while to notice them. Being able to put a label on it was comforting as well as daunting. Once he found out that he had a crush on Jeremy, he just had to figure out what his sexuality was. For years, he never really reciprocated the feelings of his many dumbstruck classmates. It seemed fitting for him to be gay. Having a label for  _ that _ was even more exciting. It was scary though, knowing that people like him were judged. He figured the quicker he got over it, the quicker he would feel comfortable telling Jeremy. He was the one it mattered to most.

5.

“Duuuude… The slushy machine… Jere... It’s broken.”

Michael lamented his pain to Jeremy. The entire day had been absolute shit. He woke up twenty minutes late due to the fact was gaming until three last night, the heel on his heelys got stuck in the mud on his way to school, he left his headphones at home in his rush, and he was at a loss for today’s math lesson. He couldn’t find many good reasons to be in a good mood today. All morning and afternoon, he was longing for the sweet, sugary taste of a Seven Eleven slushy.

Immediately after school, he and his best friend had quickly filed out of the school and drove to the corner store. Jeremy waited in the car. He had to text  _ Christine _ for an English project. This was an unspoken reason that his day was absolutely ruined. He had tried to ignore it and focus on the delicious icy drink only moments away. It would redeem him. That’s why he was absolutely  _ heartbroken _ when he walked in. Instead of seeing the beautiful machine glistening in the artificial light, its shine was dulled by a matte piece of paper sitting on its face. Michael had wanted to heely his way over there until he remembered his left wheel was clogged with mud. When he actually had to  _ walk _ like some sad heterosexual, it only made the horrible realization even worse.

_ Slushy machine broken until further notice _

That was when he sprinted back to the car and began ranting to Jeremy.

“Dude… It’s just…” He had started. Michael sent him a look though. If he finished that sentence, it was not going to end well for him. Promptly, he closed his mouth.

With a sound of frustration, Michael slammed the car door, and began the short drive to Jeremy’s house. Fuming, he never bothered to turn on the radio. Didn’t even try to say some silly joke or story about how he almost rage quit while playing Legend of Zelda, but heroically brought it back. No. He just sat there, with his knuckles white from his grip on the wheel, glaring at the road ahead. Jeremy was probably still on his phone texting Christine about his thoughts on _The Great Gatsby_ or complimenting her unique views and ability to analyze text. Who cared if Michael was down in the dumps. That wasn’t his concern. With his eyes on the dark pavement, he failed to notice his friend silencing his phone looking at him helplessly.

When he pulled into the Heere Household driveway, he didn’t bother running around to open Jeremy’s door as he always did. No gentlemanly gesture to point out the fact, “ _ You’re so damn slow at packing your shit that I can grab all mine and run around to open your door and ya’ know what? I still have to wait for you geez. _ ” Instead, he closed his door with the same aggression as before and trudged out to the front where he impatiently waited for Jeremy to unlock it. Normally, this was where he would smile as Jeremy opened the door for him in return. They would fistbump and say in British accents, “Gentlebros!” and then again, much softer, “Gentle bros…” Before they walked upstairs.

Today, Michael made straight for his room without so much as an acknowledgement to Jeremy’s feebly held out fist. He didn’t hear any steps behind him. That just made him feel worse.

“Hey Michael? I need to prepare something for uh… The English project with Christine, so I’ll be up in a moment.”

_ Oh well wasn’t that just the icing on the cake _ , he thought begrudgingly. Frustrated with the day’s affairs, he flung his stuff to the end of the room and collapsed onto Jeremy’s bed. Pulling a pillow to himself, he screamed into the fluff. Opening Jeremy’s bedside drawer, he pulled out his pair of earbuds and plugged it into his phone. Scrolling through his spotify playlists, he noticed one labeled, “life is shit and so am i.” and was tempted to tap in. What caught his attention was the one direction below it named, “life is shit but at least im not!!!” With an amused huff, he selected the list and put on the earbuds. Kicking off his shoes, he laid down and closed his eyes as the music began to play.

Fuck his awful sleep schedule. If he could just wake up on time, he wouldn’t be so lazy when he had to do shit. Fuck the mud. He’d at least be able to have functioning shoes if it weren’t for that. His headphones. They spoiled him, so now he wasn’t even close to satisfied with Jeremy’s default prepackaged Apple earbuds. Fuck math. No one even used it like  _ ever _ , so why did he need to even learn it? Fuck the slushy machine and the force that broke it. It was supposed to be his saving grace. Ugh. Fuck Jeremy. At that, a voice in his head whispered, “ _ Mmmm, yeah you wish you could fuck Jeremy. _ ” Damn. Welp, now he was  _ sexually _ frustrated along with the normal kind. Another reason this day was shit.

His song then came to a close, and he pulled up his phone in anticipation for the next one. Satisfied with the song, he went to close his eyes again when the door opened. Walking through was Jeremy, holding two glasses with straws. It looked like what would be in a snow cone, but in cups. And... From straws?...

Slowly, Michael rose from his spot in the bed. “Jere… Are those supposed to be?...”

“Okay, so um, yeah they’re  _ supposed _ to be slushies? Remember the word  _ supposed _ to. Like, I know the ice in a slushie is a lot finer than what a snow cone machine can make so I tried to work with what I had? I just tried to run the ice through the machine twice and it made it sorta good. Sorta. So, um, yeah sorry if it’s not perfect. I know your day has been pretty awful, and I just… Yeah. I thought this would make you feel better.” Shyly, he offered Michael the drink.

Before he even took a sip, he pulled his friend into a hug, careful not to spill a drop.

“Dude… Thank you. So much. You’re the best human being ever… This sounds so basic right now, but like I swear I’m super grateful right now.” Pulling back, he stopped to actually taste the drink. His eyes widened. It  _ actually _ tasted a lot like a slushy. He grabbed Jeremy by the shoulders and shook him as he yelled, “Dude! This is amazing! It’s practically the real deal!” He grinned, thinking about the benefits of having a friend who makes slushies. He gasped as he realized the true potential. “This means… I can get them for  _ free _ .”

+1.

Jeremy was terrified. He had just realized the Squip’s plans. The cast was already gone, and he knew none of them were in a state to fight against it. They were just as weak-minded and pliable as he was when he had first gotten his Squip. Any attempt to talk them out of it would be as bad as it was when Michael had tried to talk him out of it.

_ Oh, Michael... _

He had tried to warn him the whole time. He just wanted to protect him, look out for him like a real friend. They had after all known each other since first grade. But what did Jeremy do in response? He took that carefully crafted and aged friendship and he threw it away that night. That night in the loud, hot, and stuffy house, both of them were trying to seek refuge from the crowd. When Jeremy found that bathroom, he didn’t consider the room his refuge. The real comfort he found was in Michael. Neither of them were truly enjoying themselves, and finding each other was exactly what the two had needed. It should have been good for them. They were supposed to reconcile and realize their mistakes. Or at least, _Jeremy_ was supposed to. He was supposed to just _listen_. He was supposed to have some trust, or at the very least _common sense_ this was Michael. Michael wouldn’t lie to him like that. Instead, he completely disregarded their countless moments together in favor of a life he didn’t want. He took what they had and blew it. He wanted him, no _needed_ him back.

Jeremy stressed as he realized he completely ruined all of his chances. He hazily remembered calling Michael a loser that night. There were times when both of them felt like shit, and they shared those times. They certainly  _ felt _ like losers a lot. The only thing was, they knew it was okay because they had each other. Jeremy and Michael, package deal. Player one and two, always relying on each other to make it through all of life’s levels. With them against each other though, this was sure to end in game over.

Desperate to try and play solo, he thought back to what happened at the party. The Squip had just made some odd reference to Rich. What was it that he was looking for? He recalled him screaming and frantically asking people about it… Then it came to him. Mountain Dew Red.

He thought aloud, “That's it! Green Moutain Dew activates you, Red shuts you off!”

Inside his mind, the Squip chuckled menacingly, “Why do you think we had it discontinued? To get rid of me now, you'd need a time machine to the 1990s!”

Immediately, he thought back to Michael. An avid fan of all things 90’s and retro, he was sure to have something! Smugly, he countered the Squip. “Or a friend who's so old school he buys 90s soft drinks from the back room at Spencer's Gifts!”

They didn’t seemed threatened by the idea though. Their confidence only grew as it reminded him, “Too bad you don't have one of those anymore!”

Jeremy’s heart dropped.

The Squip was right. He didn’t have an old school friend anymore, did he? He had left him behind.  _ Damnit _ , he cursed himself. Tears welled in his eyes, daring to fall. He was hopeless. If Michael wasn’t going to stand for him, no one was. Almost all the friends he made while under the Squip’s influence didn’t know the real him, and if they did, they’ve beaten up the real him. It wouldn’t work out. This was it. This was his downfall.

Sadly, he thought of Michael. He really inspired him actually. If life really was a game, Michael would be the  _ opposite _ of a rage quitting gamer. He always seemed to power through with what he did. Things got rough for him too, but he’s never seen him give up. 

Never seen. That was important. Jeremy never  _ saw _ Michael give up. He probably did. He certainly gave up on him didn’t he? Impossibly, the thought only made him feel worse. Yeah… Michael had his weak moments too. He thought back to those times. He remembered his first time seeing him. Some kid had taken his binder of pokemon cards, and he hadn’t made a friend before the first bell. Jeremy felt guilty at the time because he wanted to talk to him, but couldn’t find it within himself. Eventually, he brought himself to talk to him during recess. He had caught him at the right moment; the poor boy was starting to cry. Another time, in third grade, he had gotten lost at the zoo. Jeremy recalled being  _ so _ worried for his friend. He had actually asked the school if they could make an announcement over the loudspeaker. They were hesitant, but when twenty minutes had passed without his appearance, they decided it was their only choice. At that point though, Jeremy had already sneaked off to find him. Then, in fifth grade, he invited himself over to help Michael study for a test he was stressed on. It was a fond memory, but his expression grew dark as he remembered a fact. That was his first time in the basement. He was only told this years later, but apparently, Michael had moved there because of family issues. Shaking it off, he went to other times. Eighth grade year when he lost his assignment, just earlier that school year when the slushy machine broke.

Yeah… Michael had his moments too. As he shuffled through them, he found one key component. Jeremy himself was present in all of Michael’s dark times. That’s when he knew he had to try. He had to get to Michael some how.

Finding himself back in the present, he desperately tried to tap his contact. At this point though, the Squip had controlled his body during his walk down memory lane. In a frenzy, he resorted to Siri. “Michael! Call Michael!” He shouted into the receiver.

From within his mind, the Squip scolded him, “I'm going to improve your life, Jeremy! If I have to take over the entire student body to do it!”

He just was struggling to regain control of his own body. Siri was unreliable as always, and he had to try and enter the name manually as he had before. It felt impossible. But then, he heard the best announcement he ever heard in his entire life so far.

“Michael makes an entrance~!”

**Author's Note:**

> Welp that was p wild hope you liked this!! Find me on tumblr [@zellymaybloom](https://zellymaybloom.tumblr.com)!!! Have a wicked day, homies.


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